Voyeurs

The Jewish Cemetery in Prague contains over 12,000 tombstones with many layers of graves beneath them. The Nazis planned to use this as an "exotic museum of an extinct race."

Jumbled stones,
brown, rough,
leaning against each other
like monster teeth
in a monster mouth gaping wide.
A path licks between them
with no real destination.
Centuries old, their inscriptions
long worn away,
nameless stones cover
nameless graves.
Body on top of body,
stacked deep,
making use of the only space
they were allowed.

Outside the cemetery walls,
pastel buildings,
stately, serene.
But inside, among the dead,
trees stand tall,
birds refuse to sing.
A man at his window,
watches as I wander
among the graves.
We are all silent.